Key Points
- Liquid Glass design: a new translucent material that will extend across all of Apple’s upcoming operating systems
- Live Translation in Phone, FaceTime, and Messages
- Polls in group chats
- Filtering unknown senders in Messages
- Visual Intelligence: a feature that allows users to search for anything on their iPhone screen
- Return of Photos tabs
- FaceTime “Communication Safety” feature: a child safety feature that pauses communications if nudity is detected
a list of the new OSes
New Hold Assist being displayed at the wwdc keynote
Introduction to iOS 26
The current iPhone operating system is iOS 18, but Apple is skipping ahead to iOS 26 later this year. The company has decided to line up its iOS version numbers with a year-based system, similar to car model years.
Liquid Glass Design
The new Liquid Glass design is a “new translucent material” that will extend across all of Apple’s upcoming operating systems. The design overhaul has proven to be controversial since its announcement, but Apple has already incorporated some user feedback into the design.
New and Notable Features
iOS 26 has a laundry list of new features, including a Phone app redesign, Live Translation in Phone, FaceTime, and Messages, polls in group chats, filtering unknown senders in Messages, Visual Intelligence, and the return of Photos tabs.
Eligible iPhones
Any iPhones released in 2019 or later will be eligible for the iOS 26 update, including the iPhone SE (second generation or later). However, some older models, such as the iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max, will not be compatible with the latest upgrade.
Installing the iOS 26 Beta
The iOS 26 public beta is now available to download via the Apple Beta Software Program. Users can sign up for free and install the beta by going to Settings > General > Software Update and selecting iOS 26 public beta.
Source: engadget.com